Drug Relieves Common Physical, Emotional Complaints.

2001 MAY 24- (NewsRx Network) -- [Yasmin.sup.R], an investigational low-dose, monophasic oral contraceptive, provides relief from some of the most common physical and emotional symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle, according to a study sponsored by the drug's manufacturer and presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2001 Annual Clinical Meeting, held April 28 - May 2, 2001, in Chicago, Illinois.

"Premenstrual symptoms are very real and affect up to 80% of women in [the U.S.]. Some women are so severely affected that their ability to function in their day-to-day lives becomes impaired," said Candace Brown, PharmD, CFNP, professor, Departments of Pharmacy Practice, Ob/Gyn and Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. 'Treatment options for women who suffer from these symptoms to any degree are important and necessary. These data suggest that using the oral contraceptive Yasmin reduces premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, and that is very good news for many women."

Yasmin (drospirenone 3 mg and ethinyl estradiol 0.030 mg) is the only oral contraceptive to contain drospirenone, a progestin that is different from the progestins currently available in other oral contraceptives. Because it is an analog of spironolactone, drospirenone exhibits antimineralocorticoid activity, which prevents the action of the hormones responsible for sodium and water retention, in addition to antiandrogenic properties, which in animal studies inhibited the effects of male sex hormones.

In this six-month, open-label study, which was part of a 13-month multicenter evaluation of Yasmin as an oral contraceptive, 326 women aged 18 to 35 years were given Yasmin for 13 cycles. Subjects completed a 23-item, self-rating Women's Health Assessment Questionnaire (WHAQ) at ...